A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again… Again

By tree
11 Aug 12 at 10:07 AM
In: What My Wife Is Reading

Maybe we ought to change the title of this section of Patrick’s blog to “What my wife has read…” I am now officially three books behind in my posting, and am almost finished with a fourth book. Oooooh.

Anyway. The eponymous essay in A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments* by David Foster Wallace is… wait for it… great! DFW chronicles a Celebrity cruise for a “certain swanky East-Coast magazine” (Harpers). You don’t have to read more than the first chapter to get the drift. Oh, but you should.

Thinking back on it — how long ago was it when I actually read it? — I sort of think he could have written it about part of our most recent vacation. Although I might do that again. Once. Patrick has already written about that, and I pretty much concur. But I say I might do it again once, because I think I’d like to be in the Fremont area at nighttime. And I’d like to go to Dino’s again.

I don’t see us ever taking a cruise; I’d have to O.D. on Dramamine® for sure. So it was cool to read the very detailed descriptions of one.

It’s interesting to me that immediately before boarding the cruise, you’re subjected to near torture for three or four hours while waiting to board the ship. The you board and all of a sudden it’s sheer bliss. Then about half-way through the cruise you’re sick of your room being cleaned spotless every time you step out… and the towel guy on the pool deck replacing your towel every time you get up from your lounge chair… and, and, and. You’re just ready to go home and not do “‘…something you haven’t done in a long, long, time: Absolutely Nothing.’”

I’ll pass.

This is the seventh post in a series.